Find Lost Dogs Using This Facial Recognition App

Looking for a way to find your lost dog that doesn't include visiting countless shelters, posting numerous flyers and offering hefty rewards? With FindingRover.com, you can locate your missing pet using facial recognition technology, according to the Associated Press.

FindingRover.com is a website and app that reconnects owners and their dogs by using picture of the missing pooch. With a smartphone, take a front-facing image of your dog that has a clear shot of its eyes and nose - the two most important features the facial recognition technology uses to identify the animal. Once the photo is approved, FindingRover.com keeps the pet's file in its system. When a lost dog is located, the person who found it can then use the app to snap a photo, and FindingRover.com scans its database to see if a match is made.

The technology was certainly a success for one San Diego family. Joanna Cox's Shiba Inu, Roxy, ran away when spooked by thunder and lightning. After canvasing the neighborhood for four days on a search for Roxy, Cox's 10-year-old daughter created a free Finding Rover account. The next day, the County of San Diego Department of Animal Services identified the dog.

San Diego is the first county in the nation to integrate facial recognition technology into the shelter's intake process. Every dog that enters the San Diego County Shelter system has a photo taken and then checked against the FindingRover.com database.

The Finding Rover network is growing as shelters, veterinarians, rescue groups and more begin to embrace facial recognition technology for pets. Social media outreach is also utilized. The service is available on iPhones, Androids and the Web, and sign-up remains free for users. FindingRover.com founder John Polimeno is actively campaigning to get more organizations on board with the technology, both in the United States and abroad.

Now, we need an app (and people and shelters who particpate) for cats as well. My girls are chipped but still, as we read recently, many people are NOT honest. (This case: A dog was lost in TX, ended up somehow in Washington state. The people said it came from a shelter, but there was never a scan for the chip. The dog got loose from that family, and the chip was scanned and the original owners got their baby back.)

We have a beagle that we rescued a few years ago and she will put her nose to ground and take off after what ever scent she gets. Our yard is fenced and she found a way to climb the fence. She always comes back but we get very worried as we live in a rural area with coyotes etc. Our answer is the TAGG pet tracker. It is a GPS for your dog or cat. We can follow her on smart phone or computer. Go to www.tagg.com for more information and use code TA1172 for a 10% discount.